Card-index holder.



G. E. CAMPBELL.

01m) INDEX HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 29, 1910.

Patented Oct. 21, 1913.

CDLUMBIA P LANDCIRAPH (IO-.WASHINGTON. D. c.

CHARLES E. CAMPBELL, 0F DES MOINES, IOWA.

CARD-INDEX HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 21, 1913.

Application filed August 29, 1910. Serial No. 579,497.

To all whom, it may concern Be it known that I, GHARLns E. CAMP- BELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Card-Index Holder, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of devices in which a suitable drawer is provided to contain a number of detachable index cards and is also provided with a movable follower arranged to engage the cards and preventthem from tilting over to too great an angle within the drawer even though a small quantity of the cards were placed in the drawer at one time.

My object is to provide an improved follower device for a card index holder, which follower device is adjustable longitudinally within the drawer and which is so arranged that when in one position it will be yieldingly held at an inclined position with its top extended rearwardly to thereby hold the cards in a rearwardly inclined position so that the index symbols on the cards may readily and easily be viewed by an operator in front of the drawer, and when in its other position it will be inclined forwardly so that the index cards may be readily and easily separated at their upper portions so that an operator may readily and easily View the matter on the faces of the cards without sliding the card holding device longitudinally within the drawer; and further in this connection it is my object to provide a holding device which will be locked in position against longitudinal movement within the drawer when in either of its inclined positions but will be free to move longitudinally when in an upright position.

My invention consists in certain details, in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a longitudinal, sectional view of a card index drawer having cards therein and also showing my improved adjustable card holding device in position for securely holding cards in a rearwardly in- I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate a card index drawer of ordinary construction having in the longitudinal center of its bottom a groove 11 to receive the base of the sliding plate. The front of the drawer is indicated by the numeral 12 and the rear by the numeral 13. Within the drawer extended from front to rear is a guide rod 14. Above the guide rod 14 may be an index card guide retaining device 14 extended from front to rear. The index cards 15 and the card holding plate 18 are provided with suitable openings 15 to receive this card retaining device.

The parts just described are of the ordinary construction now in common use and it is believed unnecessary to further specifically describe them as they, of themselves, form no part of my present invention.

- Arranged within the longitudinal groove 11 is a base for the card holding plate, which base comprises a bottom 16 and upright sides 17. Between the upright sides the card holding plate 18 is pivotally supported by means of journals 19 inserted in openings in the sides 17. A portion of the card holder plate extends below the journals 19 and connected with this downwardly extended portion is a substantially V-shaped bar 20 which is designed to yieldingly engage anarched spring 21, fixed at one end to the base 16. In the plate 18 is an opening 22 through which the rod 14: is extended. This opening is of such size and shape that when the card holding plate is inclined in either direction to about the angle shown in Fig. 4, the metal surrounding the opening 22 will engage the rod 14 and lock the plate 18 against longitudinal movement.

However, when said plate 18 is in an upright position it may be readily and easily moved longitudinally relative to the rod 14.

It is important in devices of this kind to provide some means by which the index on the cards may be prevented from falling over in the drawer whether there are only a few of them or a comparatively large number. This means that there :must be some sort of a card holding device thatiisi adjustable longitudinally of the drawer. It

is also important that the operator be permitted to tilt the cards over so that some of them incline forwardly and some rearwardlyin order that he may view the contents of any one of the cards within the drawer. Furthermore it is highly objectionable to permit the cards to tilt forwardly and rearwardly without restriction for the reason that when opening and closing the drawer the cards will be violently thrown from one position to the other and they will be usually found in a forwardly inclined position when the operator opens the drawer thus making it necessary for the operator to move all, of them to a rearwardly inclined position before he may view the index marks at the tops of the cards. By means of myimproved card holding device, it is obvious that whentheplate is in its rearwardly inclined position, the holder will be locked on the rod to thereby prevent longitudinal movement and the plate will be yieldingly held in a rearwardly inclined position to thereby firmly hold all of the cards'in the position shown in Fig. l and no amount of violent movement of the drawer for opening and closing it will be suflicient to displace the index cards from this position so that an operator will always find the cards in thisposition upon open ing the drawer so that the index numbers thereon may be seen at a glance. Then if it is desired to read the subject matter on the face of any one of the cards, the operator may first grasp the plate 18 and move it against the spring pressure to a forwardly inclined position, whereupon the plate is again locked against longitudinal movement and the operator may tilt the cards forwardly in front of the one he desires to read. This will permit. him to readily andeasily see the entire front face of the desired card and when this has been done the cards in front as well as the plate are again moved rearwardly and locked in said position.

When it is desired to insert cards or remove them the operator places the plate 18 in an upright position and when in this osition he may freely slide the plate eit er forwardly or rearwardly as may be desired.

I claim as my invention: 7

1. In a device of the class described, the

combination with a drawer, and a longitudinally arranged rod therein, of a base slidingly mounted within the drawer, a plate pivotally connected with the base and having an opening through which the said rod is extended, said plate being arranged to either forwardly or rearwardly, and to be capable of longitudinal movement on the rod when in a substantially upright position.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a drawer, and a longitudinally arranged rod therein, of a base slidingly mounted within the drawer, a plate pivotally connected with the base and hav ing an opening through which said rod is extended, said plate being arranged to'lock on the rod when inclined with its top either Y forwardly orrearwardly and to be capable f of longitudinal movement on the rod when 1 in a substantially upright position, and a spring arranged to coact with the plate to yieldingly hold it either in a forwardly or a rearwardly inclined position.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a drawer, ofa base or oarriage slidably mounted in said. drawer, a plate pivotally connected to said base or I carriage, and a spring carried by the base to engage the plate and to yieldingly hold it either in a forwardly or rearwardly in clined position;

4. ln a device of the class described, the combination of a base, a'flat spring fixed to the base and arched at its central portion,

a plate pivotally connected to the base above the arched portion of the'spring and having its lower edge designed to engage the center of the arched portion of the spring when in vertical position, said spring being designed to yieldingly hold the plate in either a forwardly or rearwardly inclined position.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a drawer, a longitudinal groove in the drawer, a rod within the groove, a base slidingly mounted in the groove and havingiupturned sides, a plate pivoted between said upturned sides and extended below the pivotal point, said plate being provided with an opening to receive pivoted-between said upturned sides and extended below the pivotal point, said plate being provided with an openingto'receive lock on the rod when inclined with its top the rod and said opening being of such size to engage the arched portion of said arched as to clamp the rod When said plate is inspring for the purposes stated. clined either forwardly or rearwardly at its Des Moines, Iowa, August 22, 1910.

upper end, an arched spring fixed to the CHARLES E. CAMPBELL. base and designed to engage the lower edge Witnesses:

of the plate, and a substantially V-shaped MARY WALLACE,

spring fixed to the lower edge of the plate ELIZABETH SKAHILL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

